It's all about the Cake
by Pop the Question
Summary: Isabella loves cake and believes it should be eaten regardless of if there is an occasion. While spending the holidays with Edward she's reminded of an event when they were 5 years old that gave her her 1st taste of wedding cake. Maybe it's time for more?


Pop the Question Contest Entry

Title: It's all about the Cake

Word Count (without the A/n and header): 3,137

Pairing: Bella & Edward

Rating: T

Summary: Isabella loves cake and she believes it should be eaten often regardless of if there is a special occasion or not. While spending the holidays with Edward and their families she is reminded of an event that was taped when they were five years old that gave her, her first taste of wedding cake. Maybe it's time for more?

Warnings (if any): Cake should be had while reading! ;o)

**It's all about the Cake**

Edward and I had grown up together all our lives so it was no surprise to anyone when we started dating when we were sixteen. Now here we are six years later spending the holidays together with our families before heading back to Portland to finish our senior year of college. It was nice to be back home with everyone.

I was in the kitchen helping Esme bake Christmas goodies. Being in the kitchen was always a place where I could relax, and get my sweet tooth fix. It was an added bonus being able to spend time with Esme.

"How are your classes going, sweetheart?" She asked as she rolled out the dough for the sugar cookies.

"They're going really well. I have to put together a business plan for one of my classes, that has really got me thinking," I said as I mixed the ingredients for the icing together before asking, "You remember the summer we spent taking different cooking and baking classes?"

"Of course I do. We had so much fun," she said with a smile.

"Well I continued taking different baking classes while we've been in Portland and I've really enjoyed everything I've learned and I've decided to use the opportunity of doing the business plan to full use. When we move back I want to open a bakery," I said.

"That's a great idea. Fork's doesn't have a bakery, I'm sure it would be really successful here," she replied.

"Thanks, you know how much I love cake."

"Hey, speaking of your love of cake. Carlisle and I decided to convert all of our old home videos to DVD and as we were going through them I found your wedding video."

"My what?" I asked with a laugh.

As she started the story, I recalled the memory of how the video came to be. I was five years old and my parents were going way for the weekend to celebrate their anniversary. I was spending the night at Edward and Alice's house while they were gone. I had asked their mom, Esme what an anniversary was and so she explained it to me in the most basic of ways.

"_An anniversary is a celebration that a man and woman have every year after they get married," she said._

"_Well then, what's married?" I asked._

"_Getting married is a big party called a wedding. A man and a woman have a wedding to tell people they want to spend the rest of their lives together. They say promises in front of a bunch of people; they give each other rings, and then kiss to make it official. After that they take lots of pictures. Once that's done they eat yummy food, dance a lot and get to eat a very special dessert called wedding cake. Here, let me show you the pictures from when I got married to Carlisle," she said._

_Esme brought out a big, white photo album and showed me the pictures from her wedding. She had on a poufy white dress that looked like it would be fun to play dress up in. Carlisle had on a gray suit and looked really pretty. But, it was the picture of the cake that caught my attention the most. I wanted that! Esme then put on the movie of her wedding to help me understand more._

_The whole movie was pretty boring but when it finally got to the cake part I was mesmerized. It wasn't just one cake. There were four big cakes stacked on top of each other like blocks. It was so cool. Then I watched as they smashed cake in each other's faces. I didn't understand why they were wasting such yummy looking cake like that. It made me sad to see it go to waste but it got me thinking._

"_Do you get to have cake on your anniversary too?" I questioned as I tried to figure everything out in my five year old brain._

"_You can if you want, I suppose," she said. "Some people save the top cake to eat after they've been on their first anniversary._

_I knew I'd want the cake then too because, if wedding cake was anything like birthday cake, I'd want it on my anniversary too._

"_Huh…well, okay. Thanks for explaining," I said and went back to playing dress up with Alice._

_I spent the rest of the weekend thinking about what Esme said tried to think of all the ways I can have cake. After mom picked me up, we went to the grocery store. I saw a bunch of really pretty cakes in the bakery and I asked if we could get one for dessert and mom said no, it was for special occasions only. This made me frustrated because I really liked cake and wanted some. As we were leaving I saw the little quarter machines that had rings in it and asked for a quarter and she gave it to me, I finally figured out how to get cake sooner rather than later. _

_The next day after Esme picked up Edward, Alice and me up from Kindergarten, I decided I would talk to Edward while we were playing in the backyard. I knew Edward liked cake just as much as me and decided he could help me get cake for us to share._

"_Hey Eddie, you like cake as much as me right?"_

"_You know I do, Izzy."_

"_Well your mom told me how we can have cake on another day besides our birthdays."_

"_Really! How?" I knew cake was the key to all of our happiness._

"_You have to marry me," I said firmly._

"_Well what does marry mean?" He asked._

"_Esme say it's a party and we dress up. We tell each other promises, change rings, then kiss and–"_

"_Whoa, I am not kissing you! You're a Girl!" Eddie exclaimed._

"_Well I don't want to kiss you either Eddie," I huffed out, "but if it'll get me some cake I'll do it! 'Sides we only have to do it one time. Don't you want the big cake?"_

"_Fine. What do we do now?"_

"_Well I got your ring, see," I said showing him the quarter machine egg, "so you have to get me one too."_

_He nodded his head yes in understanding._

"_I'm going to tell Esme we're getting married so she can get us our wedding cake for tomorrow. I'll bring my white church dress and you'll have to put on your church clothes when we get here after school so we can say our promises," I said. Glad I had spent so much time thinking about this._

"_What are we going to promise?" He asked._

"_Like, I promise to be nice and share my cakes with you. Okay?"_

"_Okay."_

_I ran inside to tell Esme what we were doing tomorrow so she could get us our cake. I didn't understand why she was laughing but she agreed. She also said she would video tape it so we'd be able to see it again when we were older. I shrugged my shoulders, what did I care if she taped it as long as I got my cake._

_The next day Esme told us we couldn't get married until after we had dinner. I didn't want to wait but we have to listen to adults, so we went and played until dinner. Once we were done with dinner Esme helped me change my clothes and brushed my hair real pretty. I put Eddie's ring on my finger so I wouldn't forget it. Then she helped Edward and Alice since she didn't want to be left out._

_She handed me a bunch of flowers and told me to wait at the top of the stairs until the music started. I hated how long it was taking to get to the cake but then I remembered how long Esme's wedding was and knew it would still be awhile. _

I laughed to myself at the memory but it got me to thinking that maybe we were ready for the next step in our lives. We had just over five months left until we graduated from college. We had already talked about looking for a home of our own once we moved back. There was no rush on kids since we wanted to have our careers established first. The next logical step was getting married. Lord knows my Dad would prefer we not continue to live in sin.

I spent the next few hours helping Esme finish the cookies as I thought about my plan of attack. All I was sure about was I needed a cake either way it turned out. I really was all about the cake back then and I still am.

Since I decided that I was going to propose. I knew I had to get him a ring. I took his class ring that I knew still fit him with me to Port Angeles to find Edward a ring.

Edward and I have never been the traditional couple, so when I came across an antique store called _Treasured Memories _I just knew I'd find what I was looking for in there.

The bell above the door sounded as I made my way in. It was a quaint little store that had everything from quilts, vases, and lamps to books, guns, and canes. It was a truly a menagerie of treasures untold.

An elderly woman came out from the back room where I could hear a T.V. playing. Her hair was the same shade as Lucille Ball's. Her sky blue eyes shone behind her oversized glasses and her cheeks overly rouged. Her smile was contagious.

"Hello Dear, my name is Mrs. Cope. What can I help you find today?" She asked reaching for my hand.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cope my name is Bella and I'm looking for a ring," I replied as I shook her hand.

She led me over to the glass case where all the jewelry was kept.

"Is there a specific type of ring you're trying to find?" she asked.

"Yea, I looking for an engagement/wedding ring for my boyfriend," I said. She had an uncanny ability to just get me talking, "I proposed to him for the first time when we were five and I decided that even if it's not traditional, I am going to ask again but this time for real."

"Well good for you doll. Tell me more about your man so I can help narrow it down for you," she said.

"Well, Edward is the sweetest, most caring, and handsome man you could ever hope to meet. He has the greenest of green eyes that remind me of shamrocks. His hair is so soft and glows like a burnt sienna sunset. He's tall and built like a swimmer, lean but solid. But aside from his rugged good looks, he makes me laugh when I've been crying, he supports me in every journey I take, he also challenges me to be a better person. He's my best friend and lover, but now I want him to be my husband too," I replied with more passion than I ever knew I was capable of.

"He sounds like an incredible young man you've got yourself there young lady. Reminds me of the late Mr. Cope, he was a wonderful man with devilish good looks. Not too shabby in my boudoir either," she said causing me to blush before she continued on, "I believe if you're going to marry the man he should at least know how to give you toe curling orgasms. Mr. Cope, god rest his soul, wasn't perfect I trained him good and proper. It's lonely times like these when I miss him the most. Plus, my rabbit can only do so much."

_Please god, I want to be her when I grow up –A horny little old lady._

After forty-five minutes of looking at what she had available, I still didn't see what I was looking for. I was getting frustrated because I really felt like I'd find it here. Mrs. Cope had the patience of a saint and said she had one more ring in the back that she'd go get to show me.

When she came back out she had just finished polishing the ring in her hand. I knew the moment I saw it, it was the one. I bought it on the spot. I gave her a hug goodbye but not before I promised to be back.

I had just got back from an unplanned trip to the grocery store for more baking supplies. When I was exiting the store an idea hit me for how I could ask Edward to marry me. I took a couple quarters out of my purse and purchased another toy from the quarter machine. Although it was no longer just a quarter, I figured he would appreciate the sentiment, or at least he would once he saw the video.

Once all of the groceries were put away I went in search of Esme. I decided to do something a little traditional with a twist.

Esme was in her craft room working on some new Christmas decorations for around her house. I was actually starting to get nervous.

"Hey Esme, Can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked.

She put down what she was working on and said, "Sure Sweets, what's on your mind?"

"Well, you know I love this family as if it were my own and that Edward means the absolute world to me. You know I would do anything to always guarantee he is as happy as he could be. With that being said, I'd like to ask you the most important woman in his life, if I can marry her son?"

"Carlisle and I love you and have always thought of you as one of our own and we would be honored to have you for our daughter and finally be able to call you a Cullen," she replied as she got up from her seat to embrace me in her arms.

I let her hold me as I shared with her my plans for later that day.

With the DVD in hand I went in search of Edward. He had spent the day with Jasper, Alice's boyfriend doing 'guy stuff'. I really thought he would get a kick out of seeing it again, plus it was the lead in to plan.

"Hey babe, guess what your Mom found when she was going through all the old home movies they have?" I asked.

"I don't know, what?" he replied.

"Our wedding video. How about for old time's sake we watch it?"

"Sure, whatever you want Love," he said kissing my forehead.

We settled on the couch snuggling next to each other and played the video.

_I bounced down the stairs as the music played then ran to where Eddie was. I passed my flowers to Alice so I could hold Eddie's hands as I said my promise just like in Esme's movie._

"_Eddie, I promise to be nice to you and share my cake with you."_

"_Izzy, I promise to be nice to you and share my cake with you."_

_I took his ring out of the egg and grabbed his hand and put it on him._

_Carlisle handed Eddie my ring and he put it on my finger._

_We kissed really fast then wiped our mouths off. _

_I looked at Esme who was holding the camera and asked, "Okay, we did it, we're married. Now, where's the cake?" _

The screen faded to black as I looked over to Edward.

"You really are all about the cake," he said pulling me into his lap.

"Don't act like you aren't," I replied before getting serious.

"You know we're graduating soon, and then coming home to start our lives here. What do you think about us having another wedding cake?" I asked.

"What are you asking Izzy?" He said.

I took the new quarter machine egg out of pocket and handed it to him before I said, "What do you say we do it for real this time so I can have my big wedding cake. Will you marry me Eddie?"

"Of course I'll marry you Iz," he replied sweetly before saying, "I can't wait to be Mister Swan."

"Hey now, just because I proposed doesn't mean you're keeping me from becoming a Cullen!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you so much, Isabella," he said before he kissed me senseless.

"I love you too, Edward," I replied once I had come back to Earth.

"So are you going to put the ring on my finger?" Asked Edward.

I took the egg back from him and popped it open. I slid the ring on to his finger, it was a perfect fit.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"It's awesome. Where'd you get it?" He asked while checking out the intricate detailing of the antique Celtic band I had bought for him.

I told him all about Mrs. Cope and how amazing I thought her store was. I also mentioned about wanting to stop back by the store before we went back to school.

"You know what's really awesome about you proposing to me?" Edward asked as he reached into his pocket.

"No, what?" I answered as I watched him closely.

"I don't have the pressure on me and now I can just put this on your finger," he said as he slid the most beautiful but still simple princess cut diamond ring on my finger.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement but I was absolutely thrilled that even after all this time we were still on the same page.

We made out like a couple of teenagers and rounded second, and then we basked in the glow of the light coming from the burning fire.

"Now guess what it's time for Eddie!" I said excitedly as I realized we had a reason to celebrate.

"What, baby?" He asked holding on to my waist tightly.

"We need a cake! Come on it's time to bake!" I exclaimed.

So, while most girls probably have an idea of what their ideal proposal would look like –romantic dinner, hot air balloon at dawn, in _Tiffany's_, on the beach at sunset, or something similar to that, it definitely wasn't meant to be like that for me. I popped the question to the man I love because all that mattered at the end of the day was that we were together and I got my cake –My engagement cake that is, the wedding cake will be enjoyed sometime soon.


End file.
